NT NETWORK
SAO JOSE DE AREAL
Abandoned stone quarries in Sao Jose de Areal have turned into large artificial water bodies and it has become a matter of concern for the village panchayat as threat of human tragedy looms large.
So far three people have lost their lives due to drowning in these ‹water bodies› even as village panchayat wants the comunidade to fill up the abandoned quarries some of which are as deep as 40 meters.
There are around six abandoned quarries in Sao Jose de Areal itself which attracts a lot of youth from nearby villages. Sarpanch Perris D›Costa informed that a lot of youth get attracted to the ‹water bodies› and “I have been personally asked the youth to stay away from these sites.”
D’Costa further said that “we had also asked the police to keep a watch around the quarries.” Expressing concern over such water-filled sites, he said the panchayat will be writing to various educational institutions to issue advisory to students not to visit these abandoned quarries.
A close friend of one of the victims and an eyewitness to one such death at a quarry on the Sarzora-Sao Jose de Areal border, requesting not to be named, said that many youth come to the site and use the height of the quarry walls to dive into the water.
He said that “on the fateful day, my friend, who did not know to swim, slipped and vanished into the water. It took two days to fish out his body.»
Former sarpanch of Dramapur village panchayat Dominic Noronha, who also lost a friend in the quarry, said that the government should find a method to put these quarries to use and cordon off the area. Or else the government should begin process to slowly fill up the pits by dumping construction waste, etc which will not cause harm to the environment and eventually the site will be restored to its original state, Noronha stated.
Replying to a question, Areal sarpanch said that the quarries, which are nearly 25-35 feet deep, have a lot of water and this water could be utilised for various purposes including construction.
